Six Forced to Leave MacGregor
By Brian Rosenberg
Editor in Chief
Six residents of F Entry in MacGregor House will be forced to move out
before finals begin to prevent the recurrence of a variety of
"inappropriate behaviors" that began in the spring, Dean for Residence
and Campus Activities James R. Tewhey announced last week.
The six students -- Kip A. Bishofberger '95, Christopher B. Council
'94, John K. Dorton Santiago '94, Jose E. Ledesma '94, Douglas M.
MacBride '94, and Avik S. Roy '93 -- currently live in the F41 suite
of the entry.
Those students claim not to have been involved with the incidents in
question, which Tewhey described as including harassment,
intimidation, harassing phone calls, and throwing eggs and water
balloons.
Council, who is serving as an informal representative for the six,
responded to Tewhey's claims by saying, "Nobody I've talked to knows
anything" about harassing phone calls. "I believe [eggs] were thrown
during one incident, but not by anyone in F41."
Neither Tewhey nor Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student
Affairs Arthur C. Smith would comment on many aspects of the
situation, including the identities of the students involved. Tewhey
cited a "long-standing policy in this office not to discuss decisions
regarding individual students." However, the students identified
themselves in order to present their account of the situation.
Though he would not disclose the timing or nature of specific
incidents, Tewhey did say that the events which led to his decision to
move the students took place between the end of last semester and
early November.
Tewhey said students and staff from MacGregor came to him on two
separate occasions during that time with complaints that mentioned
specific individuals and asked him to handle the problem.
Council said he first became aware of the situation on Nov. 4, when
he, MacBride, and Shawn M. Helm '93 received a message from Tewhey
asking that they make appointments with him.
At his meeting, Council said Tewhey told him some people would have to
leave MacGregor, and that he was one of them. Helm described his
conversation with Tewhey in similar terms, but MacBride said he
discussed other issues with Tewhey at his meeting, and that he
received a letter on Nov. 13 about his moving from MacGregor.
Helm said that after his meeting, he convinced a few residents of D
Entry, where some of the water balloons and other actions were
directed, that he was not involved in the incidents. As a result, they
met with Tewhey and vouched for his innocence, assuring that he would
not be forced to leave.
Council said he learned on Nov. 17 that Tewhey intended to force all
six upperclassmen in F41 to move out. "I'm not sure what happened [to
cause the new decision], but Tewhey met with Smith on Monday [Nov.
16], and on Tuesday all six of us were being kicked out," Council
explained.
Neither Tewhey nor Smith would comment on the basis for decisions
regarding specific students.
Council said he will be transferred to Senior House, Bishofberger to
East Campus, Santiago, Ledesma and Roy to Ashdown House, and MacBride
to New House. Tewhey and Smith refused to comment on this issue.
STUDENTS CRITICIZE ACTIONS
Many people close to the situation expressed concern that students who
were not involved in the incidents are being punished for them. "I
don't like to see people get hurt, particularly innocent people," said
Robert H. Kassel G, the F Entry tutor.
"I think there are probably better ways of resolving this situation,"
said Kassel. "I think it could have been handled a lot better than it
was."
"This situation has been kind of disturbing my whole term," said
MacBride. "Their holding [the move] over my head has really disturbed
my studies."
"It does concern me that innocent people may be moved," Smith said.
"This solution is not the ideal course -- it would have been nicer not
to have to deal with it -- but it's the best we could do."
Council claimed that Tewhey explicitly said during their meeting that
he was willing to move innocent people to end the troublesome actions.
Tewhey insisted that he has "consistently offered options which would
assure that no one who is innocent would be moved, and I have
encouraged people to develop solutions with that same effect, but no
one has come forward to do either."
Council and Kassel both said the only option Tewhey offered was for
someone to name the guilty parties. "It's hard to name people when you
don't know their names," Council said.
"I think Tewhey thinks it's easier to find out who's guilty than it
really is," Kassel said.
RESIDENTS LOOK AT OTHER OPTIONS
Council said that at a separate meeting, Smith offered an additional
option: "If we could come up with some sort of resolution that is
accepted by the MacGregor community as a whole, an assurance that
these incidents would not happen again, that might be considered a
solution."
Council said the entry drafted a "peace treaty" in response to this
option. This document essentially stated that the objectionable
incidents would not recur, and Council said it was signed by all but
four of more than 20 upperclassmen in the entry. Support from
upperclassmen was specifically solicited, since they were the ones
involved in the incidents, Council said.
The treaty was rejected as insufficient, however. "I don't think it's
an option anymore to say, `Forgive me, I won't do it again,' " said
Tewhey. "That may be reasonable twice or even three times, but after a
while, it begins to ring a little hollow."
Tewhey said he thought he had been too lenient with the entry in the
past. "I think I should have reached that point last year. . . . I
don't think I've acted responsibly to the people bearing the brunt of
these actions."
Tewhey also emphasized that his decision to move the students "is an
attempt to solve a problem -- not a disciplinary action. No one is
getting letters of probation. . . there will be no notation in
anyone's file."
Smith agreed, saying "This is a housing issue, an attempt to rectify
the situation in MacGregor."
"It would be regrettable if it came down to kicking out six random
people," Roy said.
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Copyright 1992 by The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was published on Tuesday, November 24, 1992.
Volume 112, Number 60
The story began on page 1
and jumped to page 8.
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